Color television receiver burst separator



June 23, 1959 Filed NOV. 12, 1953 awa z Amplifier INVENTOR c. w. BAUGH, JR 2,892,018

COLOR TELEVISION RECEIVER BURST SEPARATOR I 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1

v F ig.l. 30 RF, IF. 8 R-Y Low Pass R-Y 2" De Demodulator Filter Amplifier l2 l4 7 24 Chroma Color Sync. Phase Phase Amplifier Burst Gate Detector Shifter ll- 60 or Reference l6 Generator Horiz.0utput 2o I '8 Fl back Pulse y Low Pass B-Y Demodulator Filter Amplifier 22 Dernodulator Color Sync.

Burst Gate- Fig.3.

I4 and 22 m 24 RF, IF 8 I Phase 2 De Detector l2 L 26 Chroma Color Reference Ampllfler Generator "vWv 5+ |6 u Horiz.0utput I (Flyback Pulse)| T I B-Y WITNESSES.

June 23, 1959 c. w. BAUGH, JR

COLOR TELEVISION RECEIVER BURST SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 12. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

More than one Microsecond Time a. v uL m B 4 I I I I l I I l I I I I I |I..||| 4 l I l I ||||||.|ll v||lll|| 3 e k U P t 8 m w 3 U B I k w c m m e w m M F o m m 0 0 D 4 n (I lllllllilllllll Aw z 0 H/ 4 8 3V 3/ Ill 5 o 5 o 7 Delay of Frbciion of 1 Second United States Patent" COLOR TELEVISION RECEIVER BURST SEPARATQR Charles W. Bangh, In, Princeton, N.J assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 12, 1953, Serial No. 391,449

6 Claims. (Cl. 178-54) The present invention relates to color television receiver apparatus, and more particularly to a circuitarrangement for use in such a receiver apparatus-for the reception of the National Television System Committee (hereafter referred to as NTSC) color signals.

In the composite NTSC color television signal as transmitted, there is included a color synchronizing information or burst consisting of about nine cycles of the color subcarrier on the back porch following each horizontal sync pulse. The color television receiver apparatus must extract'this color'synchronizing'informationor burst from the color signal for theproper color "synchronizing action withinsthe receiver. In .this respect, it is important that all'ofr this color'synchronizing information or 'burst'ibe extracted from ?the televisedisignal, and furth'erithat none of the transmitted color pictur'e informati'on 'be taken with-"this extractedicolor 'synchronizingrburst.

In: accordance "with known p'rior: art color television receiver'circuitsx-for accomplishing the desired extraction of .thGYCOlCI synchronizing burstfrom'theicompositecolor si'gnahdt haswbeen-thepractic'e -to-use the horizontal fly,- backt-pulse already, present in the-receiver; rand-obtainable from the horizontal output circuit thereof; forthepurpose of operating 1 a burst gate -circuitwhichextracts this burst of-color-- synchronizing information However; I this has been. objectionable in -that the. horizontal fly-back pulse generally occurs tooearly in time to properly; eifect the above-described; extraction of the.- desiredco lor: synchronizing burst, and. further the phase position and; accordingly, the time relationship -ofsthe horizontal 'flybackpulse is dependent upon themanually-=controllable-horizontal hold control, which latter control is effective to vary :the phase ofthe horizontal flyback pulse.

' Accordingly, it "is ail-object ;of thefpresent-inventionto provide. an-improvedwc'olor television receiver-apparatus which is operative: to effect the desired extraction of the color synchronizing information orburst. from-the compositeltelevisedcolorsignal. Y Y l i It is a further object of thisinvention to..provide an improvedcolor television receiver apparatus for'ope'ra't-ion with particularlythe NTSC transmittedicolor signa1.-

It. is another. object. oflthis invention to. provide an. improved color synchronizing .Opeiation. @and. extraction ,or separationrcir'cuit for, a color 'tel'evisionreceiver. apparatus.

It is a different object of 'the present inventionfto provide aniimpr'ov'edcircuitfor separating ,or extracting Qtli'e cowl-{synchronizinginformation or burst of comr s' bcarrier from the transmittedcomposite NTSC color signal. 7 a 1 It is a still further object of the present"'inv'ention"to provide an improved color synchronizingfburst separation circuit jwhichl'is not dependent upon "the'phaseposition fthe horizontal flyback pulse, which latter phase "position'has the objectionthatitis controlledlby the manually operable horizontal hold J control of therece'iver apparatus. I

Itis still another object of this invention to make unnecessary any additionalp'hase changes of the horizontal :tion of the composite video signal.

2,892,018 Patented June 23, 1959 flyback' pulseforcontrol purposes, fol-example, the provision of a' delay line'to delay the phase position of'the horizontal 'flyback'pulsetas required by the prior art color teleVisiOn-ereceiVer apparatus of the type under consideration.

'In accordance with the present invention, it is pro posed toemploy the demodulated color synchronizing burst pulse, whichappears particularly in the output of the blue color difference amplifier following the blue 'colordifierence synchronous demodulator, as part of the control voltage or pulse for the gate circuit which is employed-toextract orseparate the color synchronizing informationorburst frorn'the televisedcomposite NTSC color signal; This demodulated pulse of color synchro ni'zing burst is combined with the horizontal flyback pulse such th at these twopulses Will overlap in time'-andpro vide acontinuous gate-control voltageor pulse; Theamplitudesof the respective pulses are not critical since a limiter action as wellknown'in the aitcanbe employed tocombine the pulses into'effectively one continuous pulse of substantially constant amplitudea In the output of particularly the blue color ditierence amplifier, which amplifier follows the blue color differ- 'ence synchronous demodulator circuit; there ispresent a pulse which corresponds-to the demodulated color synchronizing burst or information The latter demodulated bu'rst pulse is delayed intim'ie relative'to the color syn= chron'rzingburst by a fraction of amicrosecondwhich latter 'delayfiis due-"to the effect" of the finite band width of th'e bluercolor' diiierence:signalchannel. In the actual practicefof-ithe present'invention', the latter fraction of'a microsecond@delay is advantageously. employed in that 'the' d-elay: isvenough' to allow gating-ion-a gating circuit such as anv amplifier circuit during particularly Ithe 'latter :portion'zof thecolor synchronizingiburst, and,'in addition, the amount of delay is short enough that the .gatingcircuit or amplifier is gatedofiprior to thetime for the subsequentcolorvideo signal, which latter'color video signal occurs more than one microsecond-after the color synchronizing burst-in the composite NTSC color signal.

Therefore, it will be seen that-in accordance with the present:invention,-the initial portion of the control pulse .orsignal for-thecolor-synchronizingburst separating gate circuit is supplied by; the horizontal flybackpulse and the latter portion of the' control pulse or signal-for the color burstgate-circuit is supplied by the demodulated burst pulse above described. I

The present invention,- together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood-from the followingldescription, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure. 1 is a partial circuit block. diagram of acolor televisionfrec'eiver apparatus showing one embodiment of tlie'present invention;

Fig..2is'a graphical representation of a segmentof the televised NTSC color signal showing the time relation- 1 Referring to Fig. lot the drawings, the composite video signal from the second detector circuit '10 is appliedlo the chromaamplifier 12. The function of'the chromaamplifier is to amplify the chrominance .por The output of the chromaamplifier 12 is applied to the color synchronizing burst gate or amplifier circuit 14, which latter circuit is a high gain amplifier circuit, which is normally biased to cut ofl andfis gated on or ofi by theabove-described combination of "the horizontal fiyback pulse, which is iohtaine'd from the horizontal output circuit 16 of the 'tel'evision'receiver as is well known to those 'slcilledin this art, and the demodulated burst pulse which is obtained from the output of the blue color difference signal amplifier 18.

For the purpose of separating the demodulated burst pulse, which pulse results from demodulating the color synchronizing burst in the blue color difference synchronous demodulator 29, there is provided a gating circult 22 in the output circuit of the blue color difference signal amplifier 18, which latter gate circuit 22 is controlled by the broad base of the horizontal flyback pulse. A low pass filter 32 is provided between the demodulator 20 and the amplifier 18, as well known in this art. In the operation of the latter demodulated burst gate circuit 22, if the horizontal fiyback pulse is too broad such that the gate circuit 22 is gated on during the time period of the initial portion of the blue color difference signal which follows the demodulated burst pulse, the phase error introduced by this initial portion of the blue color difference signal is of little consequence and, accordingly, the demodulated burst pulse gating circuit is rather discriminatory in operation. This is true in that if the polarity of the latter described initial portion of the blue color difference signal is positive as is the demodulated burst pulse, then the phase of the color subcarrier must be approximately the same as the phase of the demodu lated burst pulse and, therefore, introducing this portion of the blue color difference signal into the phase detector 24 which follows the color synchronizing burst gate 14 will have a negligible effect in shifting the frequency of the controlled color reference generator 26. On the other hand, if the polarity of the above-described initial portion of the blue color difference signal is negative, then the color synchronizing burst gate circuit 14 would be gated off thereby, and hence the latter undesired negative polarity blue color difference signals would be automatically shut off from the subsequent phase detector 24, which phase detector 24 is operative to control the oscillation frequency of the color reference generator 26.

The output of the color synchronizing burst gate circuit 14 in effect contains only the separated color synchronizing burst signal. This signal is then applied to a phase detector 24-, wherein it is compared with the output signal from the color reference generator 26. A voltage is developed by the phase detector 24 which is proportional to the phase difference between the color synchronizing burst signal and the output signal from the color reference generator 26. This voltage is applied to a reactance tube (not shown) in the circuit of the color reference generator 26 which reactance tube is operative to control the phase and frequency of the color reference generator 26.

The output of the color reference generator 26 is applied through a buffer stage (not shown) to directly modulate the blue color difference synchronous demodulator 20. The output of the color reference generator 26, through a buffer stage (not shown) and through a suitable circuit 28 which introduces a 90 phase shift, is applied to the red color difference synchronous demodulator 30. There can be found in the Electronics Magazine for January 1953, at pages 98 through 104, an article by Mr. Kenneth E. Farr which explains the operation of a prior art color television receiver. The output of the blue color difference signal synchronous demodulator 20 is applied through a band pass filter 32 to the blue color difference signal amplifier 18 previously described.

In Fig. 2, there is shown a segment of the NTSC composite signal as televised and showing two horizontal sync pulses 34 with the color synchronizing information or burst 36 comprising about nine cycles of the color subcarrier on the back porch following each horizontal sync pulse 34. Also, there is shown a representative horizontal flyback pulse 38 such that the time relationship between the color synchronizing burst 36 and the horizontal flyback pulse 38 is illustrated. It is to be understood that the actual beginning and end of the horizontal fiyback pulse 38 depends upon the horizontal sync circuits of the receiver. There is also shown a representation of the demodulated color burst pulse 43! in its time position relative to the color synchronizing burst 36. From the showing of Fig. 2, it will be seen that the horizontal fiyback pulse 38 would be operative to gate on the color synchronizing burst gate 14 shown in Fig. 1 during the initial portion of the color synchronizing burst 36. However, the horizontal flyback pulse is shown to occur too early to satisfactorily gate on the color burst gate circuit 14 during the entire time period of the entire color synchronizing burst 36. Accordingly, the demodulated burst pulse 40 can be seen to maintain the color synchronizing burst gate 14 gated on after the termination of the horizontal fiyback pulse 38 and extends the gated on time period after the termination of the color synchronizing burst 36. The latter extended time period includes the time delay introduced by the finite band width of the blue color difference signal channel, and which time delay amounts to a fraction of a microsecond which is less than the more than one microsecond time period between the termination of the color synchronizing burst 36 and the beginning of the subsequent color video information in the composite NTSC signal.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, there is shown a specific embodiment employing the principles of the pres ent invention and including a multielectrode discharge device 42 which corresponds to the tube of the color synchronizing burst gate circuit 14 of Fig. 1. The output of the chroma amplifier 12 is applied to the control grid 44 of the discharge device 42, which discharge device 42 is normally biased to cut off (by a suitable bias voltage source). The output of the blue color difference signal amplifier 18 is applied to the control grid 44 as is the output of the horizontal output circuit 16 which provides the horizontal fiyback pulse. In accordance with the circuit arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the domodulated color synchronizing burst gate circuit 22, as shown in Fig. 1, does not comprise a separate circuit, but instead is provided by applying the horizontal flyback pulse from the horizontal output circuit 16 to the screen grid 46 of the discharge device 42. Accordingly, it will be seen that the horizontal flyback pulse on the screen grid 46 is operative to gate the demodulated burst pulse from the output of the blue color difference signal amplifier 18. The horizontal flyback pulse obtained from the horizontal output circuit 16 should have a positive polarity such that it is operative to gate on the gating circuit comprising discharge device 42 through both the control grid 44 and the screen grid 46. Similarly, the demodulated burst pulse from the output of the blue color difference signal amplifier 18 should have a positive polarity such that it is operative to gate on the discharge device 42 through the control grid 44.

While the present invention has been shown in the form of Fig. 1, wherein a separate demodulated burst pulse gate circuit was employed as the demodulated burst pulse gate circuit, and in the form of Fig. 3 wherein the color synchronizing burst gate circuit discharge device 42 was employed as the demodulated burst pulse gate circuit, it should be obvious to those skilled in the art that this invention is not so limited to these two forms but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a color television receiver adapted to receive a composite television signal comprising a video signal having a chrominance component, a horizontal synchronizing signal and a color synchronizing signal; circuit means for supplying such a composite television signal, means coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal to produce a derive said chrominance component-fromsaid video sig-- nal, said demodulator circuit including means -for-de-- modulating said color synchronizing signal toproduce a control pulse havingsa time duration which includes at least a further portion of said color synchronizing signal and a normally nonconductive circuit coupled to said horizontal fiyback pulse producing means and to said demodulator circuit, said nonconductive-circuit includingmeans responsive to said horizontal flybackpulse-and tosaid'control pulse to render saidcircuit-conductive during the-periods of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse, said normally nonconductive circuit being coupled to said composite signal-supply'circuit means so. thatsaid -color synchronizing signal; willbe; conducted by said normally nonconductive circuit only during the periods; of conductioncaused by-the-occurrence -ofsaidhorizontal flybacl; pulse and said control pulse.

2.*In-a color television receiver adapted to receivea composite television signal comprising a video signal hav 'ing a chrominance component,; .a horizontal synchronizing signal 'and,a colorsynchronizing,signahcircuit means for supplying such a composite television signal, means coupleclto said-compositesignalsupplycircuit means responsive -to saidhorizontal-synchronizing signalto pro duce a horizontal fiyback pulse, said horizontal fiyback pulse having a time duration which includes at least a portion of said color synchronizing signal, a demodulator circuit coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means to derive said chrominance component from said video signal, said demodulator circuit including means for demodulating said color synchronizing signal to produce a control pulse having a time duration which includes at least a further portion of said color synchronizing signal, and a normally nonconductive circuit including an electron discharge device having at least one control electrode which is normally biased to cut off, circuit means coupled to said horizontal fiyback pulse producing means and to said demodulator circuit for applying said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse to said control electrode so as to unbias said discharge device during the periods of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse, said normally nonconductive circuit being coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means so that said color synchronizing signal will be conducted by said normally nonconductive circuit only during the periods of conduction caused by the occurrence of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse.

3. In a color television receiver adapted to receive a composite television signal comprising a video signal having a chrominance component, a horizontal synchronizduce a horizontal fiyback pulse, said horizontal fiyback pulse having a time duration which includes at least a portion of said color synchronizing signal, a demodulator circuit coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means to derive said chrominance component from said video signal, said demodulator circuit including means 6 for demodulating said color synchronizing signal to produce a control pulse having a time duration which includes at least a further portion of said color synchronizing signal, a first normally nonconductive circuit coupled to said horizontal fiyback pulse producing means and including means responsive to said horizontal fiyback pulse to render said circuit conductive during the period of said horizontal fiyback pulse, said first normally nonconductive circuit also coupled to said demodulator circuit so that said control pulse will be conducted bynsaid, first-,mormally nonconductiveicircuitri during, the ;period .lof; conduction :caused. by. saidrihoriri zontalfiybackppulse, and alsecond normally nonconducr tivevcircuit coupled. to said horizontalflybackpulse pro-. ducing 7. meansand. to a said; first. normally noncon-W ductive circuit, said second nonconductive circuit; includ--: ing means responsivelto said horizontallfiyback pulseandto said controlv pulse .for rendering ,said second. jcircuit. conductive during the periods .ofssaid, horizontal; fiyback; pulse and. said control pulse, said second normallynom; conductive circuit being coupledto said composite signal, supply circuit means so, that said color nt-synchronizing ,sig-,.. nal willx'be conducted bysaid secondnormally-noncon-. ductive. circuit onlyduring .thelperiods of :conduction, caused by the (occurrence of said horizontah fiyback pulse, and said control pulse.

4. In a color televisionureceiver adapted to receive. a composite televisionusignal. comprising. a videosignalihavw ing a chrominance component, a horizontal-synchronizing signaland a color synchronizing signal; circuitmeaus-forsupplyingsuch a composite televisionsignalpmeans, C011?- pled to said composite signal. supply circuit means. I67: sponsive to said horizontalsynchronizing signal; tor-pro: duce a horizontal fiyback .pulse, said horizontal, fiyback pulse havinga -.tim'e duration.-which ineludes atqleastsa portionlof said. color synchronizingi signal, a demodulator, circuit coupled to said; ;composite. ..signal- :supply ir uit. means vto derive u saidchrominance ,cornponent frorn.rsa i di video signal, said demodulator circuit including means for demodulating said color synchronizing signal to produce a control pulse having a time duration which includes at least a further portion of said color synchronizing signal, a first normally nonconductive circuit including an electron discharge device having at least one control electrode which is normally biased to cut off, circuit means coupled to said horizontal fiyback pulse producing means for applying said horizontal fiyback pulse to said control electrode so as to unbias said discharge device during the period of said horizontal fiyback pulse, Said last-mentioned circuit means being further coupled to said demodulator circuit to apply said control pulse to said discharge device so that said control pulse will be conducted by said first normally nonconductive circuit during the period of conduction caused by said horizontal fiyback pulse, and a second normally nonconductive circuit including an electron discharge device having at least one control electrode which is normally biased to cut 013?, circuit means coupled to said horizontal fiyback pulse producing means and to said first normally nonconductive circuit, for applying said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse to said control electrode so as to unbias said discharge device during the periods of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse, said second normally nonconductive circuit being coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means so that said color synchronizing signal will be conducted by said second normally nonconductive circuit only during the periods of conduction caused by the occurrence of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse.

5. In a color television receiver adapted to receive a composite television signal comprising a video signal having a chrominance component, a horizontal synchronizing signal and a color synchronizing signal; circuit means for supplying such a composite television signal, means coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal to produce a horizontal fiyback pulse, said horizontal fiyback pulse having a time duration which includes at least a portion of said color synchronizing signal, a demodulator circuit coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means to derive said chrominance component from said video signal, said demodulator circuit including means for demodulating said color synchronizing signal to produce a control pulse substantially corresponding to the envelope of said color synchronizing signal, a normally nonconductive circuit including an electron discharge device which is normally biased to cut off, said electron discharge device having at least two grid electrodes, with one of said grid electrodes being coupled to said horizontal flyback pulse producing means so as to unbias said discharge device during the period of said fiyback pulse and With the other of said grid electrodes being coupled to said demodulator circuit and to said composite signal supply circuit means to cause said electron discharge device to be conductive during the periods of said horizontal flyback pulse and said control pulse so that said color synchronizing signal will be conducted by said nor mally nonconductive circuit only during the periods of conduction caused by the occurrence of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse.

6. In a color television receiver adapted to receive a composite television signal comprising a video signal having a chrominance component, a horizontal synchronizing signal and a color synchronizing signal; circuit means for supplying such a composite television signal, means coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means responsive to said horizontal synchronizing signal to produce a horizontal flyback pulse, said horizontal flyback pulse having a time duration which includes at least a portion of said color synchronizing signal, a color reference generator circuit for generating a color reference signal, a synchronous demodulator circuit coupled to said color reference generator circuit and to said composite signal supply circuit means to derive said chrominance component from said video signal, said demodulator circuit including means for demodulating said color syn chronizing signal to produce a control pulse substantially coiresponding to the envelope of said color synchronizing signal, a normally nonconductive circuit coupled to said horizontal fiyback pulse producing means and to said demodulator circuit, said nonconductive circuit including means responsive to said horizontal flyback pulse and to said control pulse to render said circuit conductive during the periods of said horizontal flyback pulse and said con trol pulse, said normally nonconductive circuit being coupled to said composite signal supply circuit means so that said color synchronizing signal will be conducted by said normally nonconductive circuit only during the periods of conduction caused by the occurrence of said horizontal fiyback pulse and said control pulse, and means coupled to said color reference generator and to said normally nonconductive circuit and responsive to said color reference signal and to said color synchr0niz ing signal for controlling said color reference generator circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

